Not Far from the Kingdom of God (From the Vault, August 2012)

The Mom Weekly Volume 161: September 8, 2026

You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

Notes:

When I heard the news about Gloria Steinem’s death, I remembered that she came to speak at my college in the early 1980s, and brought with her an anti-pornography activist. That talk by the two of them (Gloria, and the former adult film actress) made me 100 percent against porn from a very early age, from a decidedly feminist perspective.

My Catholic faith absolutely informs this, but my objection to porn was formed primarily because it’s bad for women, and  as a result bad for the human family.

Anyway, I was moved to see that Claire of The Catholic Feminist wrote about her death and legacy.

It’s behind the paywall, but the subhead covers a lot of it: “truth doesn’t care who said it.” People can be right about things, and wrong about things. She also talked about how people celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk last year and those who might “celebrate” Steinem’s death or condemn her, are in the same awful category. (Interestingly, I haven’t seen anyone saying, “Good, she’s dead” unlike what we saw last year).

Anyway, what she wrote about reminded me of something I had written many years ago, about two other “couldn’t be more different” people, who happened to die on the same day, and how they might be together on the other side of death, helping each other.

Remember how much I love you,

Mom

Not Far from the Kingdom of God (From the Vault, August 2012)

I have a Facebook friend (he’s the husband of a delightful local friend, and they both have a terrific sense of humor) who has a funny (in a slightly transgressive way) meme going whenever a celebrity dies. Here’s a basic example:  when Leslie Nielsen died, he posted a photo of Liam Neeson and wrote as a caption, “Leslie Nielsen, you will be missed.”

The comments at first (and even now) can be part of the fun, as friends write, “Hey, I think you’ve got the wrong person.”  Etc. Much silliness in the comments usually ensues, and some are much more guilty pleasures than others.

I happened to see the couple at a gathering late last week. I confided in them that my first thought (instead of a prayer for the repose of her soul) when discovering that Helen Gurley Brown (HGB), the longtime editor of Cosmopolitan magazine, had died, was thinking, “I wonder whose photo for her will be on (friend’s) Facebook page.”

We laughed about it. He mentioned how it has taken on a life of its own, with people messaging him whenever a celebrity dies. I gave my mea culpa for the time last year when I myself did that, when some minor television celebrity I can’t now recall, had passed away.  I sent a message along the lines of, “You should know that (minor celebrity) has died. And will be missed.”  

Fortunately for me and the state of my soul, I was driving at the time I learned of HGB’s death, and so couldn’t check Facebook. (So, in fact, I did take a moment to pray for her; Facebook friend was unaware of her and didn’t “feature” her).  Later that night, I discovered via Twitter and Facebook that another well-known woman, Nellie Gray, steely founder of the March for Life and stalwart pro-life activist, had died the same day.

And so despite my initial first guilty thoughts about Helen Gurley Brown, learning that she had died the same day as Nellie Gray gave me a kind of comfort. I can imagine (because God has an excellent sense of humor), that poor Nellie Gray may have been invited to help shepherd poor HGB through the pearly gates, or at least in purgatory. 

Nellie Gray could be pretty strict about things, to a fault. Knowing that this quality of hers would certainly be sloughed away, I can picture these two contemporaries (they were born just a few years apart) being together and important to each other’s journey after death in some unknown-to-us way.

Later, I discovered via Deacon Greg Kandra of The Deacon’s Bench blog that HGB had been a million-dollar contributor to Catholic schools in NYC, and Cardinal Dolan had “danced” with her.  (read about the story behind the photo here ). Another sweet image, and one that makes me think, actually more hope, as I’ve said before  and more than once: “Not far from the Kingdom of God.”

Interesting/Notable:

A Coastal Path Fit for a King, Now Open to All (NY Times Gift Link)

This is by travel writer Paul Theroux. It begins with a terrific quote:

There’s a glorious Latin expression for the benefits of taking a hike — solvitur ambulando: “It is solved by walking.” Is something fuddled in your mind? Searching for an idea? Wishing for clear skies, fresh air and broad sunlit uplands? Then lace your boots, leave the house and set off alone, and chances are you’ll find the answer on the way. This remedy (attributed variously to Diogenes the Cynic and St. Augustine) is one that all true pilgrims know, and in many respects serious hikers are the modern embodiment of medieval pilgrims.

Action Item: Have some cake or a treat for Mary’s Birthday

Today is the Feast of the Birthday of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Have some cake to celebrate! On LinkedIn, I posted that I think Costco should offer individual slices of their vanilla and chocolate cakes in the food court, and that way we can get some cake without having to buy an entire one of the giant ones (or even the too-large round cakes).